This invention relates generally to electrical connectors including an insulator carrying a number of electrical contacts, and more particularly concerns such electrical connectors for mounting on a substrate such as a printed circuit board.
Many types of electrical connectors are employed for interconnecting electrical and electronic systems, and subsystems and components thereof. Such electrical connectors typically include an insulating body, or insulator, as well as a number of electrical contact elements mounted in or on the insulator. Each contact of the electrical connector usually provides a separate electrical connection path between two system locations such as circuit junctions, semiconductor device terminals or the like.
One common type of electrical connector includes an insulator carrying electrical contacts adapted to make electrical connections to a substrate, such as a printed circuit board. In such connectors adapted for mounting on a printed circuit board, the contacts each typically include an end portion either in the form of a pin extending beyond the insulator to be received in an aperture in the printed circuit board or in the form of a contact surface for surface mounting the connector on the board. The connector is ultimately maintained in position on the printed circuit board by soldering the contacts to conductive paths on the board. For connectors having pins, the pins are usually soldered to the board in a wave soldering operation during which electrical components, including the connector, which are positioned on the board are soldered thereto.
In the past, such electrical connectors for printed circuit boards have often been mounted on the board manually. For example, for the pin-mounted connectors, an operator may visually guide the pins into the apertures on the board. After positioning the electrical connector on the board, prior to soldering, the connector is then often mechanically secured in place by temporary means such as by placing tape or weights on the connector. This prevents disengagement of pins from the board prior to soldering and, most importantly, during the soldering operation itself.
For some types of connectors, usually shrouded connectors having a sizable insulator body, large nuts and bolts, or rivets, have been employed to mechanically secure the connector to a printed circuit board. However, employment of such a bolt, screw, rivet or the like requires the provision of a correspondingly located opening in the printed circuit board to receive the fastening element. The provision of such an opening imposes an additional design constraint of the printed circuit board layout.
Several such mechanical fasteners for electrical connectors associated with printed circuit boards or other substrates are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,525,972 to Asick et al, U.S. Pat. No. 3,621,444 to Stein, U.S. Pat. No. 3,966,290 to Little et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,010,992 to Crimmins et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,435,031 to Black et al, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,410,230 to San Miguel. The Little et al patent, for example, shows the use of a plastic rivet to secure a shrouded connector to a printed circuit board and the Black et al patent shows the use of a plastic snap latch for connecting a connector block to a circuit board or other support structure.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,409,857 to O'Neill et al and U.S. Pat. No. 3,732,529 to Weisenburger show connectors including legs or posts on a connector insulator received in openings in a substrate. U.S. Pat. No. 3,832,770 shows means for staking a terminal cover to a circuit board, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,999,827 shows the use of posts to hold a semiconductor package on a connector socket.
An investigation of the electrical connector art has brought to light certain other patents and existing connectors. For example, elongated connectors for mounting on substrates such as printed circuit boards are known which include notches or grooves in an insulator body intermediate the connector contacts, to permit breaking the connector to a desired length. Exemplary connector structures of this type are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,230,387 to Zahn and U.S. Pat. No. 4,391,482 to Czeschka. U.S. Pat. No. 4,056,300 to Schumacher shows a terminal connector having stress relief openings between the lands carrying pressure fitted terminals in an insulator block. The notches relieve stress in the insulator and reduce longitudinal extension and bowing of the insulator. It is also known to introduce holes along an insulator of a connector to reduce stress and bowing of the insulator during pin insertion into the insulator and during soldering of the connector to a circuit board.
Connector structures in which openings are provided in an insulator block to permit access to the contacts are shown in German Pat. No. 2,006,465, U.S. Pat. No. 3,866,997 to Kreutter et al, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,286,837 to Yasutake et al. In Yasutake et al openings are provided in a connector block for receiving claws of an insertion jig. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,897,131 to Stauffer, a two-piece connector housing receives pin-like contact terminals which include peripherally extending flanges for securing the portions of the housing together.
It is one general aim of the present invention to provide, in an electrical connector of the type to be mounted on a substrate such as a printed circuit board, an improved means for mechanically securing the connector to the substrate prior to soldering.
It is a further general aim of the invention to provide such a connector which includes improved means for positioning the connector relative to a substrate.